Literacy Learning in the Elementary School

Chapter 3, Literacy Learning in the Elementary School: Implications for School Library Media Specialists, in Barbara K. Stripling and Sandra Hughes-Hassell's book Curriculum Connections: Through the Library, was a very useful and important chapter. The chapter laid out a list of questions and goals for librarians to focus on when they begin to collaborate with teachers such as, "What kind of readers do we want children to be when they leave our elementary schools?" (2003). As educators we want children not only to be fluent readers that can decode and understand a variety of texts but also:

• children who read for meaning,
• children who approach books and reading with enthusiasm,
• children who are able to choose their own books,
• children who have an appreciation for different formats and genres,
• children who share and discuss what they read with classmates, teachers, and parents, and
• children who learn about themselves and the world through reading (Stripling and Hughes-Hassell, 2003).

I strongly believe that these skills will make our students proficient life-long readers and learners. However, in order to accomplish these goals, we have to provide students with enough reading time, a variety of reading materials in all formats, reading support and guidance, "authentic literacy experiences", a welcoming and comfortable reading environment, and the knowledge to help students select the right books at the right time. This all sounds like a huge task, and it is, but watching students engaged in reading and loving it, makes it all worth while.

I love hearing kids talk to me about why they love a book or update me on what has happened next in their book or what they are planning to read next ---their excitement becomes my excitement. I look forward to collaborating with teachers to develop creative lessons and activities that allow students to engage books to generate meaning enthusiastically and develop the love of reading and learning that will serve them throughout their life time.

Source:
Stripling, B. K. & Hughes-Hassell, S. (2003). Curriculum connections through the library. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.